Xiangyang Daily (Peng Yuejiao, the Journalist, and Wang Dengpan and Zhang Yunfeng, the Correspondents) “In the past, fertilization was performed entirely manually—carried out by shoulder and hand—making it both physically demanding and labor-intensive. Today, agricultural drones can complete the task by flying a single, efficient circuit, significantly reducing time, labor, and operational costs—a benefit widely acknowledged across the sector.” On March 10, a farmer in Xunjian Town, Nanzhang County, Xiangyang, Hubei Province, observed the crop-protection drone operating efficiently overhead and remarked with evident satisfaction.

Recently, 25,000 mu of rapeseed in Xunjian Town entered the critical stage of spring field management. The town has taken the cultivation of 10,000 mu of rapeseed—characterized by green practices, high quality, and operational efficiency—as its strategic starting point. It is vigorously advancing socialized agricultural service initiatives, including drone-based crop protection and precision stem-fertilizer application. Leveraging technological capabilities, it has effectively accelerated spring ploughing and production activities.

To address problems such as the low efficiency of traditional manual fertilization and labor shortages, the Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center of Xunjian Town organized a plant-protection team composed of 12 professionals, deployed 8 transport vehicles and 4 plant-protection drones, and comprehensively launched socialized agricultural services.

It has been reported that a single plant-protection drone can cover up to 500 mu of farmland per day, making it dozens of times more efficient than manual operations. Using drones for fertilization not only ensures more even and precise application but also effectively avoids missed spots, over-application, and fertilizer waste.

As of now, Xunjian Town has completed drone-based topdressing fertilizer application services across over 8,000 mu of rapeseed fields, generating a radiating effect that has extended support to more than 20,000 additional mu in surrounding areas. The spring management of rapeseed across the entire town is expected to be fully completed by March 13.